Page 44 of Phoenix's Fire

"He was the most handsome of my choices!" I shot back. "Of the options I had, he was the easiest to look at, but no. I didn't want to marry anyone."

I'd also been the one to shoot him, but did Meri know that? Was that why she was bringing him up? I wanted to tell her, but not yet. Not before I was sure she could handle everything that had just happened to her.

"But how did you get here?" I pressed, wanting to get her whole story before I told her the bad things. "You told me how you got thrown out, but how did you get here?"

"When I said the child was my brother's," she explained, "Gideon lunged at Nateniel. They began hitting each other and screaming about it. My brother said he was not the father, but Gideon said he knew better, that Nateniel had been there, and he was screaming it as loud as he could. So then Mr. Myers asked me if I had relations with my brother, so I nodded. That was all they needed. Someone yelled to banish me like they had with you, and then people began ripping off my clothes and shoes. Just everything they could keep."

"That part was terrifying," I agreed. "I couldn't even think, and I was so lost. People who'd been polite just minutes before were suddenly ripping at me and I couldn't stop them."

"Yes!" she gasped. "Then they put the shackles on me and hauled me out. It was bright outside, but nighttime. I didn't realize that at first. Not until the sun came up. Then I hung there, unable to even put my arms all the way down. But then the wild men came. They had that box with the beast? I don't know what it's called."

"I think that's a horse and cart," I said. "I'm not sure, but Jeera would know. One of those men is courting her and Brielle."

"Both?" Meri asked, her eyes getting wide. "How dare he!"

"No, it's okay," I hurried to assure her. "He's courting both of them, and all three are okay with it. Meri, not everyone wants just one partner. Jeera and Brielle are the best of friends. The kind who kiss each other, and sometimes they kiss the man too. It works for them, and it's allowed here."

This time, Meri was the one with her mouth hanging open. "They aren't jealous?"

"They are partners," I said. "Jeera loves Brielle, and Brielle loves Jeera. Irrik, the man who is courting them? He loves them both. At least, I think it's love. But see, for Dragons, they can change their mind. They don't get married after a week. They don't have to wait until they are wed to kiss, or hold hands, or even to have sex."

"But – " She stopped hard. "Is that why she was asking you about birth control?"

I nodded. "Because I said I don't want to have a baby." Because birth was how most women died, although I wasn't about to say thatnow.Meri was heavily pregnant and due soon. She definitely did not need the reminder. So instead, I offered, "Jeera explained that things are different up here for women, and that I can have medicine to make sure there are no babies."

"Are those three Dragons courting you?" she asked, giving me a suspicious look.

"No." But I wasn't sure that was true anymore, so I added, "Maybe?"

"Maybe?"

"Well, the Wyvern kissed me, but it wasn't that kind of kiss. It was a kind one, and it didn't hurt at all. Then Rymar said something on the walk here, and now I'm not sure."

"So what are you going to do?" Meri breathed.

"I'm going to ask them," I decided. "Well, once I get the courage to. I'm not as brave as the other Dragons yet."

"But you're so much braver than me," she countered.

"And you will be this brave soon," I promised. "But tell me the rest? The Reapers found you, but you were chained. Then what?"

"Well, the little beast came first," she said. "It started making that noise, and then the men chased after it. I tried to get away, but I was hooked there, so the men had to get my chain off the tree," Meri explained, "And they carried me to the box. Cart. That thing. I was trying to get away because I thought they were wild men."

"They're Reapers," I explained, "so they're what the Righteous call wild men. Because they don't speak English either, they couldn't tell the hunters what they actually call themselves."

"Oh." Meri nodded. "But I was kicking and screaming, Ayla, and they were so much stronger than me. They hooked my chains inside the cart so I couldn't jump out, and that little beast watched me. But the box had a cloth over it, and that made it darker and cooler. Not cool, though! Oh, it was so hot compared to the compound, but when they got me out so I could relieve myself? Much hotter."

"Yeah," I said. "I had to walk the whole way."

"Oh, I would've died!" she insisted. "And it was bumpy! I was so tired, though. I slept for a lot of the trip, even when I didn't want to. I'd try to look around, hoping I'd see you, but it was so bright, my eyes wouldn't stay open, and then I'd wake up later and not know how long I'd been out."

"But the men didn't hurt you?" I asked.

She shook her head. "They fed me twice, then we got here."

"Okay," I said, thinking over all of that and trying to put it in order.

Two meals? That meant the horse must be faster than walking, or she'd slept through a few meals. I'd have to ask the guys about it, but it had taken us much longer, and the Moles traveled for two days to get here. Still, one thing in her story was very important, and I wanted to make sure I understood.

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